Letter: Constitutional convention needed

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published
1:00 am EDT, Sunday, October 5, 2008

This Election Day, Nov. 4, Connecticut voters have the rare opportunity to vote to hold a constitutional convention.

A constitutional convention is the mandatory precursor to modifying the state Constitution to give state residents voter initiative and referendum, a form of citizen empowerment presently available to 34 other states but not Connecticut.

Connecticut is among the highest-taxed states in the United States. In 1991, and against the wishes of 75 percent of state residents, a state income tax was imposed upon the citizenry.

At the same time, the state sales tax rate was lowered slightly. However, it was expanded in terms of the number of goods that would be taxed, resulting in more revenue coming in to the state's coffers from the sales tax the year following the implementation of the income tax than in the previous year.

Haven't state residents been abused and bullied long enough by their so-called representatives in tax-hungry Hartford?

It is time to bring power back to the people of the state via initiative and referendum, and the first step in doing so is voting in favor of the convening of a constitutional convention.

This question will not be asked again until 2028. It is time for real change in Connecticut.

Please vote YES on Nov. 4 to the ballot question: "Shall there be a constitutional convention to amend or revise the Constitution of the State?"